I was going to name this thread "Mental Illness," but I chose instead to name it "Mental Health."

In the midst of scanning some of the threads here at DTT, I have occassionally come across references to mental illness, so I thought I would add some of my own thoughts to this subject matter. . .

You see, my friends, I was diagnosed with paraniod schizophrenia around the age of 22 (while I was in the military). After living in hell for a little over 10 years, I have finally arrived at the point where my illness is not only manageable, but I have basically made a full recovery. . .

Now, I have the opportunity to go to med school myself and become a psychiatrist - an opportunity that I'm going to take advantage of.

There have been numerous other cases like mine - about people getting sick and then making full recoveries. A lot of these people end up becoming doctors, lawyers, and even politicians. However, a lot of people with mental illness aren't so fortunate as myself and a handful of others.

I was lucky. My family was rich, and I had the access to the necessary recources. I've always been on the latest in medication and have had the money to afford the best therapists. I was also fortunate to be granted full social security and medicare benefits at a young age.

Before I go any further, I want to say that mental illness is like getting cancer or diabetes, - it's something you just get. It's an illness, and it's not our fault that we get this illness.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misunderstanding out there on the part of the average American. A lot of this ignorance is justified (to be frank), because a lot of people with mental illness are violently homicidal. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality of things. The question remains - What do we do with these people, and how do we treat them?

I will say this - like any other illness, anyone can get it. In other words, both good people and bad people become mentally ill. That is why there are so many diagnoseses out there - including the diagnoses of "criminally insane."

Anyway, as a budding psychiatrist and someone who has fully recovered from a severe mental illness, I would like to start a thread on this subject. I was hesitant to do this, but I think that the time is right. There have been a lot of recent breakthroughs in psychiatric research. What the experts are finding out is that mentally ill people are usually smarter than normal people, and can do anything that they set their mind to. The people who suffer from mental illness just need to get on the right meds, get stable, and then anything is possible.

Is there anyone out there who has any thoughts whatsoever on this subject matter? Your input will be greatly appreciated. . .

Thanks!

- Nightrider